Washington University in St. Louis, MO, USA.
The Oasis Institute, St. Louis, MO, USA.
J Appl Gerontol. 2021 Sep;40(9):953-957. doi: 10.1177/07334648211006978. Epub 2021 Apr 12.
This study explored older adults' technology use patterns and attitudes toward virtual volunteering during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 22-item survey was administered to 229 volunteers in the St. Louis region who tutor children through the Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring program. Although most respondents are familiar with technology and expressed that they are likely to volunteer virtually, their responses varied significantly by age, education, gender, income, and school districts. Some tutors expressed that virtual volunteering may eliminate barriers to in-person volunteering, while others were concerned with establishing a personal connection with students online. These findings suggest that tutors anticipate both benefits and challenges with virtual volunteering and that efforts to engage older adults during the pandemic should factor in prior use of technology and ensure that different subgroups are not marginalized.
本研究探讨了老年人在 COVID-19 大流行期间的技术使用模式和对虚拟志愿服务的态度。一项包含 22 个问题的调查对 229 名通过绿洲代际辅导计划辅导儿童的圣路易斯地区志愿者进行了调查。尽管大多数受访者熟悉技术，并表示他们可能会进行虚拟志愿服务，但他们的回答因年龄、教育程度、性别、收入和学区而异。一些导师表示，虚拟志愿服务可能消除了面对面志愿服务的障碍，而另一些人则担心在网上与学生建立个人联系。这些发现表明，导师们预计虚拟志愿服务既有好处也有挑战，在大流行期间吸引老年人的努力应该考虑到他们之前对技术的使用，并确保不同的群体不被边缘化。
